Cons

Tips are not strong enough for heavy ornaments - they would need to hand from inner branches

Prices are great considering the quality and warranty, but not cheap

Full Review

TruTip artificial Christmas trees is a brand of tree that can be purchased at multiple online Christmas websites. The Fraser Fir is marketed as being the best selling of all TruTip trees, and is available with clear or multicolored incandescent or LED lights, as well as unlit. With so many options, one might believe all the hype - this must be the best selling tree. But is it also the tree with the most returns?

Upon calling one of the websites that sells the TruTip brand of artificial Christmas trees, I discovered that I lived within a hour of the warehouse, and quickly got into my car, set the coordinates into my GPS, and traveled to Alpharetta, GA.

The Fraser Fir is indeed a fine tree. I was caught off guard when I entered the showroom - it was warm and muggy, and the Christmas trees were lined up neatly as they would be in a live tree farm. Since the showroom is not currently in use due to July not bring the main shopping season for holiday decor, the lights on all of the trees were shut off when I first entered. As the associate looked for the controls to turn the power on, I began to stroll through the TruTip line of trees. I was quite impressed with the quality of each tree, especially the color and needles. The associate explained to me that each of the tips I was touching was constructed using a mold in which polyethylene (PE) is poured. The inner needles were made using PVC to keep the price of the trees within reason. The sales associate than directed my attention to the wiring of the lights. The wires were neatly and tightly wound around the branches, with the bulbs setting close to the tips. There were no loose wires to be seen anywhere. Next I was shown the branch and trunk detail of the Fraser Fir. Imitation bark was wrapped around each branch and the trunk to create a realistic appearance through the greenery - no black metal poles or hinges to distract from the lifelike appearance of the tree.

I continued to investigate the tree tips, and began spreading the tips and branches. Each individual tip allowed for great flexibility in any direction - up, down, left, or right - and the tips had a downward slants that could be altered if needed. The branches were very sturdy and hinged, so they could just be raised and dropped into place, but I did notice that the tips of the tree were not strong enough for heavy or ornate ornaments, like a fresh cut live tree or commercial artificial tree tip might be. There was plenty of room for ornaments, though. They would just need to be lightweight or standard weight ornaments.

At this point the lights were turned on, and I stepped back in awe. Four Fraser Fir TruTip trees were lined side by side, each lit differently. The traditional trees with incandescent lighting were amazing, and I admired the near perfection achieved by the professional lighting. I have always used a live tree and wrapped the lights myself, so this stunning glory was new to me.

LED trees hit the stores this past season - I had seen some pretty neat trees lines up at some of the department stores, but the greenery was so cheap looking that the LEDs just looked wrong. However, the Fraser Fir LED tree cast a brilliant light. The multi color LEDs had a lot of blue and purple, and looked very modern and breathtaking. The white LEDs were not my preference, but they were definitely strung with the same care as any of the lights, and were still placed on the same tree. The color was just so bold and bright that I was not a fan.

My final recommendation on the TruTip Fraser Fir tree is to definitely buy one if you are in need of a new tree this season! This is a tree that is incredibly realistic in design and touch, and the quality if top of the line.

In Closing

In conclusion, I am very impressed with the quality of tree the TruTip
Fraser has to offer, and I can easily see why it is the best selling
artificial Christmas tree in the TruTip family. I am also now educated
on the premium construction the TruTip offers, with the lifelike PE
tips and natural green colors. The Fraser Fir tree is natural looking and beautiful, and is warranted to retain its shape and structure for 10 years.